System and method of automatic translation of broadcast messages in a wireless communication network

• US 20040192258A1
• Filed: 03/27/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boston, Stephen B., Atkin, Steven Edward, Sanjar, Amir Farrokh, Birk, David Martin
• Granted Patent: US 6,915,134 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06

Abstract

A system and method for automatic translation of broadcast messages in a wireless communication system are provided. With the system and method when a wireless communication device enters a region of a wireless network, the wireless communication device registers with the wireless network by way of a base station and mobile switching center. The registration of the wireless communication device includes the creation of a database entry at the mobile switching center that identifies the wireless communication device and includes an indication of the origin, such as the country code, of the wireless communication device. Based on this indication of origin, a desired output language may be identified. This identified output language may then be used to identify prestored versions of a broadcast message that are in the output language or identify the mechanism for translating a broadcast message from an original language to the identified output language. In this way, the broadcast message is generated in a language that is most likely to be understood by a user of the wireless communication device.

Claims

1. A method of automatically translating a message to be routed to a wireless communication device via a wireless communication network, comprising:

receiving a request to send a first message to wireless communication devices in a designated area of interest;

determining if the wireless communication device is within the area of interest;

determining an output language for the first message if the wireless communication device is determined to be within the area of interest;

generating a second message that is a version of the first message in the determined output language; and

outputting the second message to the wireless communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an output language for the first message includes querying at least one registry for an entry corresponding to the wireless communication device, and wherein the entry includes an identification of the output language.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the identification of the output language is a country code associated with the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining it the wireless communication device is within the area of interest includes comparing a current location of the wireless communication device to an identification of the area of interest in the request.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the current location of the wireless communication device is determined from one of a global positioning system measurements, round trip delay measurements, and signal strength measurements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is one of a text message and an audio message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating a second message includes selecting one of a plurality of versions of the first message, wherein each version in the plurality of versions of the first message is in a different language.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first message is a warning message issued by a governmental entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the area of interest is a geographical region to which the first message is applicable.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the first message along with one or more parameters from the request in a database of active messages, wherein the one or more parameters includes an identification of how often the first message is to be sent to wireless communication devices in the area of interest.

11. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for automatically translating a message to be routed to a wireless communication device via a wireless communication network, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request to send a first message to wireless communication devices in a designated area of interest;

second instructions for determining if the wireless communication device is within the area of interest;

third instructions for determining an output language for the first message it the wireless communication device is determined to be within the area of interest;

fourth instructions for generating a second message that is a version of the first message in the determined output language; and

fifth instructions for outputting the second message to the wireless communication device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the third instructions for determining an output language for the first message include instructions for querying at least one registry for an entry corresponding to the wireless communication device, and wherein the entry includes an identification of the output language.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the identification of the output language is a country code associated with the wireless communication device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the second instructions for determining if the wireless communication device is within the area of interest include instructions for comparing a current location of the wireless communication device to an identification of the area of interest in the request.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the message is one of a text message and an audio message.

16. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the fourth instructions for generating a second message include instructions for selecting one of a plurality of versions of the first message, wherein each version in the plurality of versions of the first message is in a different language.

17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the first message is a warning message issued by a governmental entity.

18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the area of interest is a geographical region to which the first message is applicable.

19. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising:

sixth instructions for storing the first message along with one or more parameters from the request in a database of active messages, wherein the one or more parameters includes an identification of how often the first message is to be sent to wireless communication devices in the area of interest.

20. An apparatus for automatically translating a message to be routed to a wireless communication device via a wireless communication network, comprising:

means for receiving a request to send a first message to wireless communication devices in a designated area of interest;

means for determining if the wireless communication device is within the area of interest;

means for determining an output language for the first message if the wireless communication device is determined to be within the area of interest;

means for generating a second message that is a version of the first message in the determined output language; and

means for outputting the second message to the wireless communication device.